London fire: Lives claimed at Grenfell Tower

Several people are confirmed dead after a huge inferno broke out at a residential tower block in West London

Many residents believed to still be trapped inside the 27-storey building as it teeters on the brink of collapse

More than 600 residents desperately tried to escape the flames as the fire broke out in the middle of the night

The London Ambulance Service said 50 people have been rushed to five different hospitals around the capital

Grenfell Tower fire

Dozens are feared dead today after an inferno started when a fridge exploded ripped through a 27-storey London tower block now on the verge of collapse. Families were forced to ‘beg for their lives’ as they tried to escape the blaze, while several people are still trapped inside the 27-storey building as it teeters on the brink of collapse.

Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, White City, is currently ‘lurching’ to one side after a ‘very, very severe fire’ broke out in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with those inside claiming a fire alarm failed to sound.

More than 600 residents desperately tried to escape the flames as the fire broke out in the middle of the night, with many woken by the screams of others and the smell of burning plastic.

As residents flooded the streets outside the building, many spoke of members of their family or close neighbours being unaccounted for, as they were forced to watch on as their home and all their belongings went up in flames.

Grenfell Tower fire

A woman who volunteers at one of the local community centres where residents are being taken said dozens of children remain unaccounted for, as separated families desperately try to reunite with their loved ones.

Many residents who gathered outside the smoldering ruins of the building said the fire had been caused by a faulty fridge in one of the flats, but the fire service told MailOnline it could not confirm the reports at this stage.

One neighbour said he saw people jumping from up to 15 floors up to escape the fire, while there were screams of joy and a relief as a five-year-old girl was pulled from the flames by emergency services.

Grenfell Tower fire

Dany Cotton, Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, said there had been ‘a number of fatalities’ following a ‘unprecedented incident’ that she described as the largest in scale that she had seen in her 29-year career. – Daily Mail